Thursday, November 20, 2014

There are so many things I want to do before I die; some of them are doable, but some aren't. I recently sat down and came up with a list of the things I aspire to do in my lifetime. Here goes nothing:

Put change in an expired meter

Attend the Kentucky Derby

Pay a stranger's bar tab

Learn to sail

Organize a large event

Buy a house

Attend a low country boil

Travel to Europe

Go fly fishing

Cook a meal for 5+ people

Drive across the country

Write a book

Get a book published

Pay off my credit card debt

Visit a castle

Start my own blog

Read all of Faulkner’s work

Plant a vegetable garden

Learn to play poker

Fly in a helicopter

Watch the changing of the guards

Ride in a limo

Drink milk from a fresh coconut

Attend a jazz festival

Learn to ski

Get a tarot card reading

Take up horseback riding again

Watch an Ole Miss game from the alumni box

Sing karaoke in public

Go mountain biking

Jump off a diving board

Start a petition

Open my own restaurant or cafe

Have a hot stone massage

Watch the 10 Greatest Movies of All Time

Ride on a motorcycle

Learn to speak Italian

Go snorkeling

Eat at a restaurant alone

Throw a surprise party

Watch a solar eclipse

Learn to bartend

Blow glass

Hike (part of) the Appalachian Trail

Leave a 100% tip for a server

Change a flat tire by myself

Enter a writing contest

Drive over the Brooklyn Bridge

Learn to knit

Go to a drive-in movie

Watch the duck walk at the Peabody

Get hypnotized

Take an art class

Order room service

Be an extra in a film

Do my own taxes

Ride a cable car in San Francisco

Drink expensive champagne

Name a star

Invest in the stock market

Travel by riverboat

Be a tourist in my own city

Go grape stomping

Have a mud fight

Spend the day at a spa

Rope swing into water

Watch the sun set over the mountains

Drive a Zamboni

Own my own beach house

Meet someone famous

Volunteer at the soup kitchen

Go deep sea fishing

Fly first class

Move somewhere knowing no one

Serve on a jury

“Unplug” for 48 hours

Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Get acupuncture

Catch, cook and eat a fish

Learn to salsa dance

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah

Go to a vodka lounge

Pan for gold

Sleep on a beach

Try a Cuban Cigar

Find a pen pal from another country

Ride a camel

Give a speech at a wedding

Refinish an old piece of furniture

Jump off a cliff into the water

Get ordained

Visit every state in the U.S.

Be a bridesmaid

Swim with dolphins

Fly in a hot air balloon

Complete a 10-day fast

Organize my own cookbook

Train my dog

Climb a mountain

Take a spontaneous vacation

Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Can y'all think of anything I left out? I'm always open to suggestions!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

I'll admit it.. Thanksgiving isn't exactly my holiday. But for some reason, this year, I'm all about it. And with the big day creeping up in two weeks, I've plotted invading my mom's traditional Thanksgiving dinner with some of my own side dishes and deserts. So far, I'm overwhelmed with how many delicious recipes I've stumbled upon. And in order for me to document them all in one place (read: remove them from my "favorites" bar) and to share with all you kind folks, I'm showing you the best ones I've found so far.

Corn Pudding. I don't know if I've ever even had corn pudding, but this picture makes me want it. Big time. This might be one of the ones I actually pull the trigger on.

Creamy Spinach Casserole. This one is similar to my mom's recipe that I love so much. As good as this one looks, I do hope my mom makes hers this year.

Pull-Apart Stuffing Rolls. J brought this one to my attention a few days ago and he hasn't stopped talking about it since. He's decided to try making it himself (unfortunately he's going home to Burlington for Turkey Day and I won't get to see the final result).

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Y'all.. this song is absolutely amazing. I discovered a few months back and probably posted it to Facebook or wrote about it on here or did something else to further encourage people to hear this song. This singer is wildly talented, and his live music is unbelievable. Check out this song and tell me you don't end up with chills..

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Y'all know what a huge Ole Miss Rebel fan I am, and as always I have to make at least one trip down to Oxford for a football game each year. This year, my friends and I chose the Auburn game, because it worked with all our schedules and was slated to be a BIG ONE. And boy, was it. As you probably know by now, my Rebels lost by 4 points to Auburn after our star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell caught the ball and landed just barely outside of our endzone with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter. As luck would have it, that tackle left Treadwell with a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle. The sports world has dubbed this loss as one of the most "gut-wrenching" losses in college football history. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my trip to my alma mater and as always was blessed to be reunited with so many of my college friends. Let's take a look at the (few) pictures I did manage to take.

Who doesn't love a nice cotton field on the drive in?

The rental house was much nicer than expected, and we had plenty of sleeping room for the 7 of us who ended up staying there.

Since Friday was Halloween, we had to pose for a picture in front of one of the most decadently decorated houses on the main strip. I can't imagine how long it took the owners to get this thing up and running.

A "before" picture as we stopped by City Grocery for our first drink of the weekend.

And obviously I had to take a picture of my favorite sushi roll of all time.. the baked salmon roll from Kabuki, my favorite restaurant in Oxford.

Erin was the only brave one to partake in a vodka shot (they use the vodka primarily to clean the grills in the main dining room).

And then, we were off to the bars of course. Here's a look at The Library, Oxford's largest bar (which consists of a sports bar, a dance club, and an outdoor patio).

In the morning, our friend Sarah showed up bright and early to wake us up and get us ready for tailgating in the Grove.

It took us until 1:30 for everyone to get ready, but at last we were on our way, walking from the house to the Grove.

This is what a typical tent in the Grove looks like.. in other words, utter chaos.

This was our tent.

Although College Gameday didn't come to Oxford for this game, they did have one small tent set up to correspond with the network and broadcast other games to the tailgaters.

Here we are about mid-way through the day (we got to the grove around 2:00, and the game started at 6:00, so it was obviously a long day of drinking).

Elvis made an appearance in the tent next to ours.

Lauren and I managed to score tickets 10 rows up on the 50 yard line for only $100!! Score!

Most importantly, we were able to sneak whiskey bottles into the stadium with us. And as you can see in the picture below, we took advantage of our "toddies" during the game. Also, the "neighbor"'s stash of whiskey made its way to us on several occasions. Now that's Southern courtesy!

When Laquon Treadwell was being examined on the field, the stadium became silent as everyone on the field struggled to see what needed to be done and what calls needed to be made.

After the loss, we headed right back to the Library to say our goodbyes and celebrate the wonderful time we had with each other. As always, we made plans to do it all over again next year.

About Me

Hey y'all, thanks for stopping
by The Clarity Chase!
My husband and I live in a small town
in North Carolina with our two rescue mutts
and a baby on the way!
During the week I'm a contracts analyst for
the local health system, and on my time off I'm
a dedicated yogi, low-carb cook, avid reader,
part-time traveler and novice photographer.
I've been working on this blog in one capacity
or another since 2013, and it's always been a
wonderful way for me to connect with others!
I'm always open to comments, questions and
suggestions, so please don't be shy!
Feel free to tag along!